Poisoned Kiss
by endra1
Summary: On a failed mission, Kanda is caught by the enemy and sent to join the many kidnapped occupants of the town he was trying to save. Can he save them or will he be just as helpless as they are? Note: Violence but no pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: As much as I wish it were not so, D. Gray Man belongs only to Katsura Hoshino and not to me. This series is my absolute favorite so I hope you all enjoy my fanfiction of it.

**Chapter 1**

This mission had already gone to hell. For once, Komui had been right and a town really was under Akuma control but as usual, it wasn't that simple.

The town had been overrun but no one had been killed. The villagers had all been subdued and then transported. Kanda had quickly figured out that very few of the Akuma knew anything. They were just the workers. Still, it hadn't taken long for him to find the 'Queen'. It had cost him all of the finders that had been sent with him but Kanda could deal with that. They would have all been useless anyway.

The Queen was a big Akuma. She was three times taller than Kanda but every other proportion was normal. Kanda guessed that she was a level two; her form was humanoid but not the cherub-like appearance that level threes had. The Queen was also very strong.

Kanda had been fighting since sundown and yet the rays of sunlight were threatening the horizon already. Fractured ribs grated painfully within his torso and Mugen gave a metallic whine every time he swung it. The Queen was virtually unscathed although Kanda had come close more than once. It only took one misstep but Kanda had always known that that was all it took.

His boot caught on a piece of fallen tile from the building's roof and Kanda fell. He held on tight to Mugen as his chest slammed into the rubble on the ground. He heard his thud multiplied by ten as the Akuma slammed her hand against the walls in tandem with his fall. The building wasn't as resilient as Kanda.

The large tiles that had once decorate the roof of the town-hall came loose along with most of the cement walls. Kanda had no chance to move before one of the larger pieces of debris hit him. He suppressed a scream as his legs were painfully pinned underneath a tile.

Vision blurred, Kanda couldn't move as the Akuma drew closer, her body painfully close to the trapped exorcist. Opening her mouth she pressed it against the struggling man's. Immediately Kanda pulled away, face twisted in disgust.

"Fuck you!" he shouted.

Plunging the Katana into the Akuma's abdomen he twisted as far away from the creature as he could.

He pulled Mugen from the shrieking Queen and sliced through the material that dared to trap him. Broken legs trailing behind him and fractured ribs searing hot like he had cattle prods in his chest, Kanda crawled towards the door. But a heavy foot came down on his back and Kanda groaned as pain seared through his body.

A huge hand gripped his body, almost crushing it as it lifted him higher in the air. "That wasn't very nice." The Queen whispered in the young man's ear.

Then she dropped him and a whistling scream forced its way from Kanda's throat as broken legs took the brunt of his fall.

Collapsed on the floor, Kanda could only hope that no one was watching his humiliation. Then he was pulled into the Queen's lap and he opened his eyes to see the Akuma bending in for another 'kiss'.

Struggling uselessly, Kanda was helpless to resist the forced 'kiss'. His back arched as pain consumed his body. A scream could only just be heard from behind locked mouths as Kanda could withhold his pain no more. Feeling as if fire was consuming his body at the same time as sapping both strength and innocence, Kanda went limp,

Mugen dropping from limp fingers. Finally releasing her prey from the kiss, the Queen stepped back and surveyed her catch. Although now in bad condition, he was obviously a powerful exorcist and she liked his quick tongue.

The Queen picked up his innocence and looked at it with disgust. With a twisted smile she snapped the sword in half and threw down the pieces. Then she slung her limp prey over his shoulder and left, the broken sword and blood from the injured exorcist the only evidence that either of them had ever been there.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thanks for reading this story. Also, my reviewers deserve some serious thank-yous as well. Thanks all! I still don't really know where this one is headed so if you have any ideas, please feel free to brainstorm to me...

**Chapter 2**

Kanda woke up in chains. The cool metal was wound around his torso, pinning his arms and rendering any form of movement useless. Kanda wasn't sure that he would have wanted to move anyway. His legs felt like withered stumps that had been set alight and his head wasn't feeling much better.

He was in a small room that appeared to belong to a child. It was full of soft and fluffy toys. Kanda wasn't sure what their normal name was. Plusher or something he thought. The toys surrounded him and he found it was in no way comforting. If anything, having those blank eyes staring up at him was creepy. But nothing was creepy to Kanda.

A single bed was only a few feet away but Kanda had been deposited on the floor. Kanda scoffed painfully. He didn't like being treated as a toy. There were no other people around him but he thought he could hear voices pleading from somewhere outside of his room. In all likelihood, he had been taken to the Akuma's base.

Why the Akuma hadn't killed him, Kanda wasn't sure but he was certain that it did not bode well. Kanda just hoped that there was some Noah around so that when he freed himself, there would be someone worth killing. Then he would go back to the Order and slice up that Usagi and Moyashi as well.

Kanda was to be disappointed there. The door that he had failed to notice opened and the Queen walked in. Kanda averted his gaze from the intended sultry expression on the Akuma's face. The Queen refused to let Kanda maintain the facade of his solitude.

"Hello my pet." She whispered, kneeling in front of him and jerking his face around to face her.

Kanda spit in her face.

The Queen sighed and wiped the spit away. With long thumbs, she stroked his face, exploring the delicate lines. The digits stopped, poised underneath glaring eyes.

"You have such a lovely face." The Queen whispered. "I would hate to damage it."

The threat was clear and Kanda didn't spit again. He needed his eyes.

One hand moved from Kanda's face to venture further. Kanda felt a stopped breath and the serious urge to kill as the hand slid between the buttons of his uniform and to his chest. He had hoped that the singlet would stop direct contact but the Queen appeared to find the material amusing. She was rid of it within seconds. Kanda still wasn't sure how but now he had more pressing concerns.

He struggled as she rubbed circles against sensitive skin but stopped as he felt claws dig in above his heart. The pain went away quickly and the uncomfortable ministrations started again. The entire process was revolting to Kanda and he felt no desire other than his usual wish to kill.

At his unresponsiveness, the Queen withdrew her hands.

"We will continue this later, my pet, although if you keep on like this, things could get quite painful."

"When I am free, things will be much more painful for you." Kanda promised

The Queen gave a shrill laugh.

"Good luck with that."

She was still laughing when she slammed the door shut once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Author's note: Thanks go to sweetness4theheart for reviewing the last chapter. As I only got one suggestion of how to continue the story (and I will use that suggestion later on), this story will continue as per my inspiration (i.e. I still don't have a plan). I hope you enjoy where this story heads (I hope I do too). Reviews and suggestions still very welcome. Enjoy!

Kanda waited a few moments for the footsteps and laughter to fade. Once he was sure that the Akuma was gone, he began fiddling with his chains. Mugen was gone but the small knife that Kanda always kept up his sleeve (for the extreme cases when he really wanted to kill someone) was still there.

It took quite a bit of effort to jostle the knife to his hand but Kanda was used to effort. What he was not used to were Akuma that decided to try strange things that were not in Kanda's knowledge. He didn't want it to be. Who would put up with such an uncomfortable and slow torture? Kanda would much prefer the usual beatings that came when faced by an enemy. Kanda 'tched' and frowned as he set to work on the chains.

The knife was not a file. This was something that Kanda quickly came to regret. Although a knife was better for the intended purposes of killing something annoying, a file would have been much better for the temporary job of cutting through thick iron. Still, Kanda was not one to foster regrets. He was, in truth, not the type to foster anything but hatred towards things like rabbits and beansprouts but sometimes there was an odd longing that came when he imagined 'that person'. Kanda didn't have a name for that feeling but it was irrelevant nonetheless.

Kanda's strength and determination soon put the chains to shame, file or no file. A knife was still better than nothing and Kanda grinned maliciously as he rose. Now was the time to exact revenge and prove to that idiot beansprout that he could complete this mission, Queen of the Akuma or not, without any problems.

Kanda frowned as he wondered if the idiot would class 'imprisonment' and 'injuries' as 'problems'. Kanda shrugged to himself. It wasn't as if the beansprout could prove either point. Kanda would be free by the time he dragged the idiots who had gotten themselves caught and the majority of his wounds were already healed. Kanda walked to the door and opened it.

Outside of the room was a hallway of cells. Kanda could see fingers poking out of the majority of the cells but he could also smell rotting flesh. The scent of death. These were the villagers who had been caught by the Queen then.

Kanda didn't answer any of the questions or pleas. It was too much trouble. Instead he knelt at the door to one of the cages and examined the lock. The cries from this cell got louder.

"Shut up!" Kanda hissed.

If the idiots were too noisy the Akuma might come back.

The lock was not one Kanda could pick. It was one of the more modern 'Combination locks'. Kanda was not the type of person to bother trying to unlock it via the combinations. Way too much trouble. Kanda pulled out his trusty knife once more. Grumbling that Mugen would have made things much quicker Kanda set to work on the chains that tied the door to the rest of the cage.

He was less than halfway through the first cell's chain when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Breath much too sweat for Kanda's liking hissed against his ear.

"You've been very naughty, my pet. Playtime is over."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Author's note: Many thanks go to my reviewers. I'm sorry for not updating this one earlier. I also need to thank PeachTeaKT who pointed out that what Kanda did with the chains in the last chapter is quite impossible. I was aware of this but it was good that someone pointed out this flaw for me. All I can say in response is, ladies and gentlemen, Kanda is something else. Never try anything that happens in this fanfiction at home. Kanda is capable of the impossible but we are not. Thanks again PeachTeaKT. Your comment was much appreciated. More reviews very welcome. I hope you all enjoy!

Kanda didn't turn to acknowledge the Queen. He had very few means to fight and leaving now would mean an incomplete mission. Kanda's best choice was to somehow escape to find a good hiding place within the mansion. Even as he analysed his options, Kanda knew that the situation was practically hopeless. The hands were still pulling at him through the bars. That made running very difficult. Beyond that, Kanda was quite sure that the Queen wouldn't let him get far. Kanda cursed. Weapon or no weapon, Kanda wasn't going to go down without a fight.

He smashed his foot into the Queen and dropped to the ground, rolling underneath the Queen's retaliation. He was back up on his feet within seconds, crouched with his knife held in front of him. It was a weak defence and Kanda knew it but it was a weapon nonetheless. And Kanda was a weapons expert.

The Queen was large and much slower than Kanda. He flitted around her, stinging with his knife as deeply and as often as he could. The Queen's skin was thick but with enough power behind it, Kanda's knife sliced clean cuts through the first layer of muscle. The Queen made no sound, however, and Kanda felt his chances of escape slipping away. The knife would not be enough. It couldn't be. Humanoid or not, the Queen was an Akuma. Kanda needed Mugen.

Kanda aimed for the Queen's more vital nerves, hoping that the knife would at least work to paralyse or incapacitate her. He never stood a chance. The Queen's hand enclosed him again, pulling him high into the air. Struggling, Kanda was bought face to face with a very angry Queen.

"I wonder what sort of punishment should be described this time?"

It was a rhetorical question.

"Trying to release all of my toys, you've been quite busy haven't you, my pet?"

Kanda tried to bring his knife up to inflict as much more damage as he could but the Queen squeezed tighter. He couldn't breathe. Everything was going red. Redder than blood. Air was non-existent. There was none of it left in Kanda's world. Kanda vaguely wondered if he had a world anymore. Was he dying or was he already dead?

Something released. Kanda didn't know what it was that released. Not anymore. He didn't care either for now there was oxygen again. Something to fill his lungs and space within his body to hold it there. Kanda breathed deeply, taking advantage of the reprieve. Slowly, with the return of basic bodily functions, his mind cleared. He was on the floor. The Queen still had her hand wrapped around him. She was leering down at him. He didn't feel pain nor could he sense the ominous presence of blood. Why didn't she kill him?

The Queen was smiling. Kanda was still trying to get enough oxygen back into his body.

"Now, now. Don't give up that easily. You exorcists are a lot more fragile than I had imagined. Without your innocence, you're a breakable as all those other humans there. I want to play some more," she grinned. "Play with me."

Kanda couldn't move. At first he thought that his body was still suffering from a severe lack of air but then he discovered that it was much less complicated. The Queen was pinning him down. She only needed one finger per limb to hold him still. Kanda struggled as the Queen leaned in close.

"Scream for me," she whispered.

Kanda's arm broke. He screamed.

Author's Note: I'm introducing some of the other exorcists next chapter. Allen will make an appearance but Kanda won't. Just thought I would give you all a heads up! Please continue reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long. I've been struggling with the personalities of all the other exorcists. I've already written the next chapter and will post that one tomorrow to make up for my slackness with this chapter. Thanks to my reviewers again. Special thanks go once again to PeachTeaKT for pointing out another typo of mine. I should really edit these more thoroughly before posting them. In response to your question PeachTeaKT, the kiss that the Queen gave Kanda in the first chapter was poison. It dulls the senses and highlights pain. It also leads a fast road to unconsciousness. As Kanda's body is unusual, the poison doesn't last as long on him as it would a normal person, but even so, the poison would have probably worn off by the time Kanda woke up anyway. That kiss will probably make at least one more appearance later on so I'm very glad you gave me the opportunity to clear that up. Great question! Reviews are, yet again, very welcome. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter too!

Allen was not impressed. He had only just gotten back from his own mission when Komui had called him into his office. Lavi and Lenalee had been there, waiting patiently for his arrival. Allen's spirits had lifted as he realised he was to be sent on a mission with Lavi and Lenalee. It was always far better to be sent on team missions and the two of them were much easier to work with than Kanda. Then Allen had been informed of the contents of their mission.

Kanda had gone to search for Innocence in a town where villagers had gone mission. That was all well and good. The problem was that it had been four days since Kanda had last contacted the Order. According to Komui, Kanda was normally quite prompt when it came to calling in but Allen had a hard time believing that. Kanda was efficient but if it got in the way of his work, Kanda was sure to skip out on a few calls. Still, Lenalee looked worried and Komui didn't make it sound like Allen had much choice in the matter. Thus, he had been sent off to find Kanda.

They were only a few hours away from the town now but Allen couldn't see anything wrong. Kanda was probably just engaged in what he believed to be a serious fight. He could be playing a hand of cards with the science personnel and repaying his master's debts right about now. Perhaps Johnny would even have had enough time to sit down and play chess with him. But that idiot Kanda just had to get in the way. Allen sighed.

"Are you ok, Allen?" Lenalee still sounded concerned.

Allen forced a bright smile to his face. It was very easy considering how much practice he had had.

"I'm fine, Lenalee. How are you holding up?"

Lenalee nodded.

"I'm a little worried about Kanda but I'm fine."

"He'll be fine." Lavi spoke up.

Lenalee nodded and their conversation died down. The weather was getting colder but there was no need for anything more than their coats yet. Allen wondered if the cold had something to do with the missing villagers but dismissed the thought. It wasn't like it was snowing and that was nowhere near drastic enough to have been caused by Innocence or to have driven the villagers from their homes.

They travelled in relative silence until the village came into sight. That was when Allen lost his breath. Lavi and Lenalee stopped beside him. The village was in ruins. Houses were crumbling with an efficiency only caused by weapon damage. There were no Akuma still in the village but the piles of dust that lay in clothing was clear enough to a trained eye. As Allen looked around, he noted that the piles of dust did not add up to anywhere near the number of villagers reported missing. It was less than a quarter. Lenalee and Lavi spread out to search for anyone or anything that could give them clues. Allen followed the piles of dust around the corner of a demolished building, hoping that they might lead him to something interesting.

Allen was now worried about his friend too. There was no sign of Kanda even being here let alone still fighting. The destruction in the village indicated some sort of great struggle but Allen hadn't yet seen anything to pinpoint Kanda as a perpetrator. Even if Kanda had been here, it was likely that he hadn't survived the massacre. Even the strongest of Exorcists would have had trouble getting out of a mess like that.

There had obviously been a lot more than one Akuma and Allen was almost certain some of the bullets still lying around belonged to Level 4s. Still, none of the piles of dust were framed by an Exorcist or even Finder uniform. Thus, Kanda had not been poisoned. Allen wasn't even sure Kanda could be poisoned. He had seen the other Exorcist take a Level 4's bullets and stay standing. He had shrugged it off as if it had been nothing. Allen knew it wasn't natural but he wasn't one to pry.

Something cracked underneath Allen's foot. Yanked from his thoughts, Allen looked down. Lifting his foot from the source of the sound, he gasped. Dull metal reflected the dismal light back up to Allen. The length of steel was unmistakable. It was Mugen.

"Lenalee! Lavi! Kanda was over here!"

Allen crouched down to inspect the sword further as his companions joined him. He heard the expletive from Lavi and Lenalee's gasp. Mugen was snapped clean in half. There was no way that Kanda would have left his Innocence in such poor condition had he had a choice. There was blood on the ground but nowhere near enough to have come from a death wound. That could only mean that Kanda had been kidnapped. Allen gathered the two pieces of Mugen and stood.

"We have to find him."

Allen held out his hand and Lavi and Lenalee topped it.

"We will."

They had only just retracted their hands when there was a clang from a corner. Allen swung around and gasped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Author's Note: As promised, the 6th chapter. I hope that you all enjoy and thanks to my reviewers. Be warned, this chapter does get quite violent. Please review!

Kanda was in chains again. The Queen was dragging him down a corridor. There were no people or even prison cells in this corridor. It was a long way away from those. Kanda didn't know how far. He didn't care. That f***ing Queen had done a job on him. That was what mattered at the moment. He couldn't move properly and that meant no escape let alone completion of his mission. Most of the wounds had healed but the arm that had been twisted full circle would not heal until he had a chance to click it back into place. The chains impeded any chances of him being able to accomplish that. The limb was pinned limp and painful by his side. Kanda had thought that he was good at dealing with pain but every movement had him cursing.

Kanda let out an expletive that could never be repeated as he was tossed into a room full of water like a doll. The water was low; it would have only just reached Kanda's ankles had he been standing. The substance was plain but cold. Kanda could feel himself shivering from the cold already. A boom had his bones shaking even more violently as the door was slammed closed. There was still light in the room although it was artificial. Kanda wondered what its purpose was. There was also a wall which looked strange to Kanda. He was almost certain it was a one way mirror. He had heard of such things but had never seen one so he couldn't be sure but the wall just seemed strange to him. The Queen would probably watching as she carried out whatever plan the room and Kanda were meant to serve.

Kanda was still wondering if he were going to be drowned or left to freeze when a strange tingling sensation became painfully unpleasant. He yelped. Electricity? The Queen certainly had a sadistic sense of humour. With all of the conductors around Kanda, there was no escape. As another round of voltage spun through the water, however, Kanda's body disagreed with him. There had to be some escape. Ignoring the pain from his left arm, Kanda scrabbled to get to his feet and out of the water. He must have looked quite stupid, futilely rolling around as he tried to stand whilst trussed up like a pig. The Queen appeared to tire of the spectacle quite quickly as, only seconds later, the voltage rose.

Kanda dropped back to the water, his success in getting to his knees quickly undone. As more water and, thus, more voltage came in contact with his body, Kanda screamed. He writhed, splashing water everywhere, but only succeeded in covering himself in more water. He thought he was going to black out when the current died down. He lay in the liquid, gasping and coughing. The Queen's voice echoed off of stone walls.

"How are you doing, my pet?"

"F*** you, B****," Kanda replied.

"That's not any way to answer to your master. Looks like you still need some training."

The current intensified again. Kanda felt his throat being scraped raw as his screams excelled in volume. He couldn't keep track of time. The electricity had been present for seconds, minutes or hours. Kanda didn't know. He couldn't scream anymore. His ribs had collapsed in on themselves. Lungs were rendered incapable. Kanda couldn't breathe. His vision was dulling. Then, it was gone.

* * *

><p>The Queen watched as her newest toy went limp in the water. She stood and moved back around to the door. She opened it and lifted up her prey, marvelling at how his head lolled back in her arms. Now he was just like the dolls that were in the room she had first put him in. Perhaps she should put him back? No, he would become stiff again soon enough. She cradled him, entranced by the lithe muscle in his body. None of her other pets had been so strong nor so rebellious. None of her other pets had been Exorcists. The Queen was fascinated by the similarities and differences between Exorcists and humans. She determined that she would keep playing with the toy until she had found what it was that made Exorcists compatible with innocence and then she would report it to the Earl.<p>

This one was certainly different from normal humans. His rate of healing was one of the first things she had noticed. She wasn't sure that that was a distinguishing trait for Exorcists, however. She had battled other Exorcists but they had been too fragile. She was almost certain that they had not had the same healing powers as this one. She turned over the exorcist like a floppy doll to find the source of his unusual powers. She was just lifting his shirt when she felt a sting on her arm. She gasped in delight. Her pet was awake again.

The Queen frowned as she saw that he was being disobedient again. This time, he had latched onto her arm with his teeth. What a frightfully horrid and degenerate thing to do. A good pet would never bite. She hit him but he held on. Gently, she gripped him and pulled. He came loose with a scrap of her host body's flesh still in his mouth. He spat it out and struggled against her.

"That was a very naughty thing to do, my pet."

"I'm not your f***ing pet!"

The Queen tightened her grip until he stopped swearing at her. She gave a light whistle and one of her more common pets came forwards.

The Level 2 who had answered her call was completely metallic. Perfect. The Queen thrust her pet into its hold and it fastened its arms around him as if in a hug. Her exorcist was struggling but there was no way to escape. The Level 2 Akuma understood her wordless orders and dragged the exorcist back to the room. The Queen closed the door again and went back to her observation room. Her pet was struggling as he was forced to sit in the water once more. The Queen flicked the current to a higher level. Her pet stiffened, shaking with the voltage. He was screaming. That scream was so pleasant. The Queen could never get enough of it. Her pet tried to fight against the Level 2 but it only made him all the more adorable. He stopped screaming and the Queen watched in delight as he slumped against the hold of the Level 2. The Queen released the current. He would be out for a while this time. She smiled. What fun.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Author's note: Thank you to all of my dedicated reviewers and readers. I am very sorry that this took so long to update. It's been pretty busy lately but I'm on holidays now so I hope to update regularly. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I look forwards to hearing your opinions of it!

Button eyes stared with cold detachment as Kanda lay among the toys. He didn't know when he had been returned to the room which had first served as his cell. He didn't know how long he had been with the Queen. He didn't know what time it was, what day it was or even what week it was. Time no longer held any bearing on his life. There was pain, the mission, pain, the Queen and then more pain.

After the electricity had come fire and after fire came more water. Kanda had stopped breathing many a time then. After the water came the lash of a whip then poison. The poisons had seemed to have been the Queen's favourite for she tested many types on him. Kanda had died so many times. He hadn't thought there was even that much of his life left but he kept coming back to life again and again.

The Queen was laughing even now as she etched lines of blood in his skin. The sharper weapons were her newest application for her toy. He had almost forgotten his own name because of the large number of times she had called him that. He had stopped protesting the use of the title long ago. She didn't listen anyway and Kanda's voice couldn't hold for more than a syllable anymore.

The knife scraped against his rib; a thin line traced into bone. Kanda felt his eye twitched but gave no other reaction to satisfy the Queen. His reactions had been dulling more and more as a lack of pain became a thing of the past. He could see that the Queen was losing interest. He wondered how she would try to kill him. As far as he knew, she had tried everything bar starvation and dehydration. Perhaps that was the next step. She could just leave him here to wither. Even Kanda didn't know if his curse would survive such hardship.

Another knife entered his abdomen and Kanda stared blankly at the wall as it was pulled from top to bottom. A third knife laid his chest open. Kanda felt his fingers twitch in response but his gaze didn't change. He could hear his blood dripping to the ground as the western showers dripped during use. There was a warmth that seared down him like fire and Kanda could feel his lungs restricting already. Vision dulled and he could feel his dulled eyes closing. New pain forced them open again and Kanda moved his head enough to see the newest knife that was buried in his chest. The pommel stuck out from where Kanda imagined his heart was. He convulsed, coughing crimson liquid and then there was the familiar return of nothingness.

The Queen watched with a flash of interest. It was only a flash for once the exorcist had finished his death throes there was nothing more to be intrigued about. She waited for his return, hoping that whatever it was that was keeping him alive would come into effect quickly. Red was staining the other toys that dotted the room and she could see that her servants would have a hard time trying to get the crimson river drained from the carpet.

Her toy had become more and more boring recently. The screaming had stopped when she had taken to the whip and there had been no pleas whatsoever. Recently, even the agony in his eyes had turned to a blank stare equal to those of the plushies that inhabited the room. His death throes were the only thing that got a reaction involving pain from him. If there were no more screams to be heard when the exorcist was alive then death was the only time when the Queen could be entertained. The Queen wasn't sure how much longer that would last either. Her prey had been so feisty when she had first played with him but even his attitude had dulled. He would be of no further use soon.

Perhaps she should just hand him over to the Earl. He would surely have some questions to ask. The Queen doubted that her toy would answer the Earl. If the exorcist had any of his previous personality left, it was his stubborn refusal to give entertainment to her. She highly doubted that information would be any different. Then again, the Earl had his ways. She wondered if she would be able to watch as the Earl interrogated her toy.

A gasp bought her attention back to the toy. Eyes that had been open in the shock of death closed as the exorcist tossed and arched back. The wounds began leaking new blood and she watched in fascination as the gashes started closing. Knowing from experience that the exorcist would not return to life whist the knife was still in his heart; she pulled it roughly from his body and watched as blood trailed from an open mouth. The arm that had taught her such things was still hanging uselessly, the limb facing the wrong way as it cracked incessantly in an effort to relocate itself.

She saw colour returning to the previously pale face as the damaged heart began to beat again. Another caught breath sounded and then revived eyes opened again. As they took in the stained surroundings, the Queen watched them dull to detachment again. She grinned, her lust for the exorcist's screams revived once more. She leaned in to whisper in his ear as he panted for breath.

"You, my toy, I will never tire of," and, for once, the statement was the truth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Author's Note: Hey there everyone! Sorry for the massive delays on all of my writing recently. I haven't got internet at my new house yet and it looks like there will still be a while before we can get anything. I've also been helping out with cleaning the house and unpacking boxes so I haven't been writing too much anyway. Sorry. Still, my time has been freeing up and I've been getting some ideas so my writing is coming back into effect now. Thanks to my reviewers and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and those that will follow.

Allen couldn't believe his eyes. In amidst the rubble and the ash-like remanets of bodies was a little boy. The child had been hiding behind a bit of rusting tin. Now he stood, crouched like a frightened rabbit, the tin fallen to the ground in front of him. It wasn't hard for Allen to see that the boy was scared. The child had obviously not wanted to be revealed as he was wide eyed and watching the Exorcists warily. There was nothing trusting in that expression.

Even from a few meters away, Allen could see that the boy was much skinnier than a normal person. It looked like some form of malnutrition to Allen but he couldn't be sure. He didn't have that much medical knowledge but he had seen many kids with those prominent ribs before Mana had found him.

"How horrible," Lenalee whispered, hand close to her mouth.

At first, Allen thought that she was talking about the health conditions that had come from prolonged abandonment but then he followed her eye line. Lenalee had spotted something that Allen had missed. On the boy's arm was a wound that had been messily bound. Allen couldn't see what type of wound the injury was but he was almost certain that it was not from an Akuma. The boy was still alive after all.

That didn't mean that an Akuma bullet being the cause was impossible. If the boy was an accommodator, especially if he were a parasitic one, it would be likely that he would be able to neutralise the poison. It would also explain how he would have survived the Akuma that had obviously invaded his village. Come to think of it, the boy being an accommodator would also explain the reason for the Akuma attacking the village.

Despite all of that, Allen was still unsure about the boy being an accommodator. Every Exorcist that Allen knew had discovered their innocence during a time of crisis. The boy's village had been attacked, his parents and family had all been killed or taken and Allen could see no evidence of any Innocence other than Kanda's Mugen. That still didn't make the whole scenario impossible but it did make it much less likely.

That the child had been left behind by Akuma, and possibly even Noah, made the boy's likelihood of being an accommodator that much more impossible. If the boy had shown even the slightest signs of being an exorcist the Akuma would have killed him instantly. As that thought occurred to Allen, he wondered by Kanda hadn't been killed. Or perhaps he had and everyone was just being optimistic.

"What do we do?" Lavi looked at a loss as they all stared at the little boy.

Lenalee didn't answer but slowly started inching towards the child. Allen and Lavi hung back to see how he would react.

"It's ok," Lenalee whispered. "We won't hurt you."

The boy bolted. Allen didn't wait for an order. All three of the exorcists were after the child in an instant. It didn't matter that the child was scared. He knew something about what had happened. That made him the only link to finding Kanda. They needed him.

Allen was in the lead for only a few steps. Lenalee took him over in a flash of black and white. Allen could see the boy's look of horror as he glanced behind him to see a woman running at him with superhuman speed. Allen envied Lenalee's Innocence sometimes. Her speed gave her the advantage in exercises like that. It only took Lenalee a few more seconds to catch the boy. She was gentle, sweeping the boy into her arms rather than tackling him to the ground.

Allen could see her struggling to hold onto him that way for the boy, once caught, fought like a mad cat. He clawed at Lenalee's eyes and scratched at her temples. He had probably been taught a certain degree of self defence for he was going for the right places. Lenalee kept herself just out of reach as she turned to sprint back to Allen and Lavi. She put the boy to the ground once she had stopped but kept a firm hold of his shoulders. As Allen and Lavi lent in to get a better look at the wound, the boy windmilled his arms ferociously but it had no effect.

"Stay away!" the boy spat.

Allen and Lenalee looked at each other. They would have to calm the boy first.

"We're friends. We came to help."

"You didn't come to help! No one would help us."

Allen smiled sadly at the boy.

"Sorry we're so late," he said.

The boy stopped and looked shakily over the three intruders.

"Your jackets...that one was wearing a jacket like that," he whispered.

Allen, Lavi and Lenalee exchanged glances.

"Was he the owner of that sword over there?" Allen asked.

The boy nodded. Lavi grabbed him by the arms and shook him, startling the boy again.

"Did you see what happened to him? Where is he?" Lavi asked.

The child started crying and Lavi let go sheepishly.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Lenalee knelt down in front of the boy.

"The man with the jacket like ours, he's our friend. Did you see what happened to him?"

The boy looked up at her, then at Allen and Lavi. His expression was hesitant when he came to Lavi but at Lenalee and Allen's trusting faces, he decided to tell them.

"He fought for us. The things were attacking but he tried to save us. He killed so many but there were too many. He fought the Queen and..."

The boy glanced at the shards of Mugen and lowered his gaze.

Lenalee patted the boy's head.

"It's ok. Why don't you go with Lavi and he'll get you fed and to a safe place?"

Lavi was gasping a protest but one look from Lenalee silenced him. The boy looked at Lavi with obvious distrust. Lavi sighed and knelt in front of the boy.

"What's your name?"

The boy hesitated before answering.

"Ree," the boy answered.

"Ree, our headquarters are a day's walk from here but we can get there quicker if you trust me. Do you trust me?"

The boy took a look around him, then at Allen and Lenalee and then back to Lavi. He nodded after another hesitation.

"Ok. Hold onto me." Lavi looked to Allen. "I'll report back to Komui while I'm there to get some back up. Find Kanda."

Lavi got out his hammer and gathered the boy in his arms.

"Here we go," Lavi said.

"Wait!"the boy cried. "Your friend. The Queen took him where everyone else went. Will you free them all?"

Allen smiled at the boy, "We won't leave anyone behind."

"They're in a castle two days that way." The boy pointed down one of the abandoned roads.

"Thank you," Allen told the boy.

The boy nodded and then he and Lavi were gone. Allen looked to Lenalee with renewed hope.

"Shall we go?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Author's Note: Hello again, all! Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter. I appreciate the support. I hope that you enjoy this chapter too!

Kanda lay in a pool of blood. The crimson had spread its stain to the toys that stared down at him coldly. It was still seeping up the synthetic whites and greys that acted out the part of each toy's fur. Kanda wondered if it would ever be able to be washed out. He was almost certain that the red would never come out of his uniform again. He needed a new one anyway.

Kanda's senses had returned just before the Queen had been called out of his cell. He hadn't heard what reason was important enough for her to abandon her toy. His ears hadn't been healed by that point. They had only recovered a short time ago. The rest of Kanda's body still had a long way to go. He was annoyed that his creators hadn't thought to make his heart the last thing to heal when it came to fatal injuries; being conscious while the rest of his body recovered made things very painful.

Numerous deaths had dulled his mind during his interrogations but now that he had been given time to readjust, he knew that this was the time to take advantage of the Queen's absence. She hadn't left him alone for so long and he knew that it would probably be a short reprieve. He needed to complete his mission.

Time passed slowly as he waited for his body to revive to the point where he would be able to stand and do some good. When his legs became usable and his chest bothered to support him, Kanda pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled there momentarily before giving in and accepting the help of a kindly wall. Glad for the lack of chains and the negligence of locking the door, Kanda dragged himself from the room.

The hallway of cells was just as he remembered it. There was pleading, screaming and outstretched hands. The chains were still fastened with combination locks but Kanda noted that of the hallway of cells, less than half were occupied. Whatever the Queen was using the humans for, she was using them quickly. This would probably be Kanda's last chance to free any of them.

His knife had been confiscated long ago but Kanda still couldn't be bothered with the combination locks. He could see that the people were even thinner than Kanda himself. The Queen obviously hadn't been bothered to feed them as much as she had Kanda.

Kanda shuddered as he remembered his mortification as he had been force-fed like a baby in the Queen's arms every now and then. If beansprout or that idiot rabbit ever got a hold of that information, Kanda was in a mind to commit suicide. Or perhaps he would just silence them permanently before it came to that.

The bars were strong but Kanda was stronger. He only needed to bend them a bit. Kanda kicked one of the bars and felt the bar bend beneath force. His leg bent too. Kanda cursed as he collapsed. He had known that his body wasn't completely recovered but he hadn't thought that his legs were that fragile.

If he had to do that with each of the three cells, it would take more than a day; his recovery time more than four fifths of that time. On second thoughts, it was probably much more than that but Kanda wasn't good at maths. He couldn't be bothered to figure out the exact ratio. What mattered was that that was time they could not spare.

People slipped through the bars like a stream of water through reeds. None stopped to help the others and none stopped to help Kanda. Kanda wasn't surprised. If it hadn't been a mission, he would have abandoned all of the prisoners here too. Freedom was the only thought on those humans' minds. Considering what they had probably seen and heard during their capture, Kanda couldn't fault them. On second thoughts, he probably could but he just couldn't be bothered.

Once the stampede had disappeared down the hall, hopefully to freedom or at least not into Akuma, Kanda dragged himself to the next cell. Bracing himself for another onslaught of pain and thankful that his body could take it, he drew back his foot and kicked one of the bars. This bar did not bend as far as the other. From the ground, Kanda had much less force let alone leverage. Still, Kanda was glad to see people squeezing through the gap he had made. He had just sacrificed his other leg for that gap.

Again, no one stopped to aid in the rescue of the last lot and Kanda didn't have any legs left to break on allowing their escape. It would take a few hours for him to be able to stand again let alone walk, run or kick. Groaning in pain, he dragged himself to the last cell. He stared at the bars and the desperate eyes of the people and wondered how he was going to free the last stragglers.

Kanda was getting more and more suspicious that he had freed as many as he had in such a short time. It was all too easy. The Queen had obviously had to leave but he had expected her to return by now. Perhaps the situation was more urgent than he had thought. But then there were the bars. If the Akuma and Noah had been serious about keeping the humans imprisoned, they wouldn't have made the bars so separate that a single kick could make enough room for a mass escape. It was as if they wanted him to free the humans. Was this all a trap or was the Queen really as stupid as she seemed?

An all too familiar hand fell on Kanda's shoulder.

"I see that you've been hard at work freeing my boring toys. Were you jealous my toy?"

Kanda didn't need to see the horrified expressions of the remaining prisoners to recognise who that sickly sweet voice belonged to.

"I'm afraid that twice is too much, my toy. We're going to have to say goodbye now." The Queen sighed. "Goodbye, my toy."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updating. I'm not going to make excuses so to put it simply: once I got internet back, I just didn't feel like writing. I am now over that stage and I do apologise for the selfishness of that act. As a result of the break, I hope that my writing will be up to standard, if not better. Thanks go to all of my reviewers and I would love to hear more feedback. Thank you for being so patient and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Kanda didn't have time to turn around before he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown away from the cell. The prisoners gasped at the sudden loss of their escape but shrunk back from the bars, too afraid to help their would-be saviour. Kanda yelled as he hit the bars of a, now empty, cell.

The Queen shivered.

"It's been a while since I heard you scream like that, my toy. How invigorating. Scream more."

Kanda didn't have the time to prepare for refusal. An armoured foot slammed into his, still delicate, ribs. The scream Kanda released was louder than the cracking of his bones and he crumpled, coughing blood.

"Much better. I wish you had been so vocal earlier. Bad toy."

Another foot to the chest. Kanda couldn't breathe. It hurt just attempting to pull in oxygen. None of it stayed in his body anyway and Kanda wondered if he should, perhaps, just stop trying.

"Perfect. I wish you hadn't disobeyed me, toy. I would have liked to have played with you a little longer."

Kanda managed to roll over. He still couldn't breathe in and his vision was dulling but he could see the killing blow that was about to fall. The foot would smash his skull. Even Kanda's curse would have trouble recovering from that one. Kanda didn't try to move. He knew he couldn't avoid it anyway. He would just have to hope that his curse really wouldn't be able to bring him back. At least then it would all be over. Kanda's eyes closed.

"Bakanda! Wake up!"

Kanda's eyes snapped open as the voice washed over him. There was a flash of white above him.

"Kanda! Are you ok?"

Kanda saw a flash of black. He wanted to reply to both of those questions no matter their rhetorical intent. He had never been asleep, had he; and wasn't it obvious that he wasn't ok? Unfortunately, he had no breath for a reply and the eye contact with a glare would have been necessary to convey the true extent of Kanda's murderous intent.

Kanda heard the Queen screech as there was a metallic clang. Running footsteps passed by Kanda's head and he realised that someone had finally freed the remaining prisoners. The Queen screamed as something hissed through the air and then the flash of black was back. It stopped by his head and Kanda saw Lenalee's face poke into focus.

"I'm so sorry, Kanda. We shouldn't have left you alone for this long."

Kanda felt his vision waver. Perhaps he really did look as bad as he felt, then. He wondered if she could count how many times he had died from the scars. He hoped not. It would only scare her to know the truth. Better she think that the Queen favoured him as a practice target.

"How is he?" Another voice called out.

Kanda who that voice belonged to: it was the flash of white. If Lenalee was the flash of black, then it only made sense that the flash of white was that foolish clown of an innocence.

"Shut up, Beansprout." Kanda, himself was shocked. He hadn't thought that his voice would work. At the same time, he felt a sense of pride that was entirely misplaced considering his condition at the fact that his voice had worked when it did.

"He needs medical attention." Lenalee was ignoring him.

Kanda was not impressed.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'll be back on my feet in a second. Did you pass the other prisoners?"

"They're all safe. We guided them outside and gave them directions to the order," Lenalee replied.

"Lenalee! I could use your help over here," Allen called.

Kanda felt his head placed gently back against the floor and then Lenalee was gone. Kanda tried to see what was happening but his body would take time to recover. He concentrated on breathing right and slowly rolling over. When he finally managed to lie on his front and lift his head, Kanda was met with a scene that would have made another person urinate in their pants.

His two saviours were hardly faring against the Queen, even with their innocence. In truth, this didn't surprise Kanda at all. He had battled the Queen for three days to a standstill previously and knew how strong she was. The problem was the other Akuma who had obviously heard the fuss. Allen and Lenalee apparently saw them too for they both retreated to Kanda's side. He felt himself being lifted into the air and he winced as he was laid over a white shoulder. This was going to come back to haunt him later. Kanda was sure that Allen would never let the favour pass. He would be ridiculed forever more. That said, he had no more energy to even make a token resistance and he let the monotonous lope carry him away.

"Not so fast!" The Queen's voice must have startled Allen for the shoulder underneath Kanda's body jarred violently. Kanda grunted.

"You didn't think you could escape like that, did you?"

Kanda couldn't see what was happening but he didn't need to. He heard Lenalee cry out. Allen moved faster but Kanda soon heard the Beansprout's scream too. Allen's body disappeared from beneath Kanda and he felt himself falling. The floor hit him hard. Kanda didn't even bother to resist the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Author's Note: Thank you for the numerous reviews. They make my day! More are always welcome. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Allen gasped as he saw Kanda tumble from his shoulder. Their fall had been hard and Kanda's head made a nasty sound as it hit the cement. Allen tried to get up but the Queen wrapped her large hand around him. He stayed still, hoping that he would retain some breath if he didn't waste it on struggle. Lenalee was wrapped in the other hand and Allen noted that she was unconscious.

"More toys," the Queen said. "Tell me, are you as exciting as my pet down there?"

Allen opened his mouth the answer but the Akuma pushed its head in close before he could vocalise a response.

"Allen Walker," she whispered.

Allen tried to hide his surprise. Considering how many people knew his name before he even met them, he felt that he shouldn't be so surprised anymore. Especially when it came to anyone connected to the Noah. They all seemed to know who he was. He waited for the quick death blow or attack. There was none.

Allen heard the grate of iron and he lowered his gaze to see a level 1 Akuma opening one of the cells below them. Lenalee was place on the bed that was without a mattress and Kanda was dragged to stop in one of the many puddles of water on the ground.

Allen winced as he noticed his friend's blood mixing with the water. His world moved around him as he was lowered and the hand released him. He tucked himself into a ball to absorb the impact as he hit the ground. Rolling to his feet, he made a run for the closing door but he was too late.

Allen hung onto the bars as he heard the Queen issuing some orders.

"Watch," he heard her say. "Wait...my return...bringing...Earl."

Allen shuddered at the mention of that name. He should have guessed it when she recognised him. Of course the Earl would have the final decision in his fate.

Allen shook the bars but they wouldn't move. He tried to activate his innocence but saw with despair that his arm had suffered greatly during his fall. It wouldn't activate no matter what he did now. He could probably bend the bars if he was willing to sacrifice a limb or two but then their chances of escape would be even less. He decided to wait until Lenalee, at least, had woken up.

He made the effort to pull Kanda from the puddle of water and move him to a more comfortable spot on the floor. If they did manage to get out of this, Allen didn't want to be accused of giving Kanda a cold. He then took a few moments wrapping Kanda's more serious injuries before moving onto Lenalee.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her other than a possible concussion. When she woke, they would probably be able to escape with the use of her innocence but would it be fast enough?

Allen waited, his dark thoughts matching their darkening cell. He had thought he was an optimistic person but when faced with two injured friends and a seemingly hopeless situation, he couldn't quite summon the urge. Instead he felt anger. He would return the damage the Akuma had done to his friends: tenfold.

Lenalee stirred and Allen shot up. If they carried Kanda between them, they could make a quick escape and gather reinforcements to fight another day. Lenalee did not wake up. Allen's excitement fell. The day was dying. They had to escape soon. Considering that the Noah had unrestricted access to the Ark, it could be minutes or hours before they arrived.

Allen was on the brink of just sacrificing his own limbs to escape when he heard two thuds from outside his cell. Running to the bars, he craned his head around to see if he could get a glimpse of the events going on out there but he could see nothing. Deadly patient, he waited and was rewarded.

A red head poked around the corner and a black eye patch came into view.

"Lavi!" Allen shouted.

Lavi ran over, followed by Krory and Chaoji.

"Allen? What are ya doing in there?" Lavi asked.

"Quickly, Lavi. Get us out. The Noah is coming!"

Lavi's eyes widened. "Stand back," he said.

Allen obeyed, pulling Lenalee and Kanda along with him. Lavi's hammer made short work of the cell bars and the other Exorcists rushed to aid Allen. Krory took Lenalee carefully and Lavi stopped when he saw Kanda.

"It's that bad?" he asked.

"He was conscious a little while. It looks like he got a nasty hit on the head, though." Allen explained.

Lavi nodded shakily and took Kanda from Allen, slinging him over his shoulder as if he were a bag of glass.

"There was no one else to provide back up so we're on our own," Lavi said.

"Did you get rid of the Akuma guarding the place?" Allen asked.

Lavi nodded his head. "They're gone so let's get out of here while we still can!"

The small group of exorcists slowly made their way to the exit. They were almost there but then, the inevitable.

"Just where do you think you're taking my toy?" the Queen asked.

The exorcists turned. The Queen was there, backed up by ten Level 3 Akuma. Krory and Lavi propped their unconscious burdens against a wall and joined the first line of defence.

"Well, this should be interesting," Lavi said.


End file.
